Japan Catholic News
January 2006
JAPANESE PARISHES ASSIST
BANGLADESH WITH MONEY, GOODS AND CONTACT
CATHOLIC WEEKLY January
29
For the past 27 years Tokorozawa Church in Saitama prefecture has
sent most of the proceeds of its annual bazaar to Bangladesh. Not
only has the parish sent money and goods, but its members also
emphasize contact
between people and every Christmas organize a study tour to Bangladesh.
Tokorozawa Church began its relationship with Bangladesh in 1979,
the United Nations International Year of the Child. At that time, the Tokorozawa
City Board of Education organized a committee and Father Hiroshi Oka, then-pastor
of Tokorozawa Church, became a member
The committee began a campaign with "the world are friends" as
the theme, used 16 millimeter film and other materials to introduce foreign
countries to the pupils at all the primary schools in the city. In response
to this campaign, parents, teachers and others donated money, clothing
and writing materials.
Father Oka was acquainted with a brother of the Taize Community who
worked in a slum district in Bangladesh, and the first contribution was
to a primary school there. From then on, the movement established itself
as a citizens' activity. An office was set up in the church, photographic
exhibitions were held in city department stores, bazaars were organized
and the profits were sent to Bangladesh.
Tokorozawa Church directs 80 percent of the profits from its annual
bazaar to Bangladesh. The Hanno Church in the same prefecture also adds
a large contribution. In order to raise money for the project, some Hanno
parishioners have even gotten part-time jobs.
"At the moment we are sending $10,000 (¥1.16 million) each year.
Use of the funds is left to the discretion of the brothers there," said
Hiroo Wakimori, 53, who is in charge of the project. Wakimori has
been involved in the movement since he was a university student.
One quarter of the aid to Bangladesh is used by the Oblate order
in the primary education of children belonging to minority ethnic groups
in the capital, Dacca. The remainder is sent to the Taize brothers who
work in the fourth largest city, Mymensingh, in the northern part of the
country.
Among their activities the Brothers run primary schools in slum areas
and communities of handicapped people, offer scholarships for students
who wish to go on to higher education and provide medical care for the
sick.
One of the other people responsible for the project, Yaesuko Sasaki,
61, pointed out that, "the aid sent up to now amounts to about ¥40
million. But more important than this are the study tours organized
by Tokorozawa Church, in which over 350 people have participated. These
people,
ranging from third year primary school students to people over 70
years of age, have experienced Bangladesh personally. Not only have people
gone
there, but we have invited young people from Bangladesh to Japan
and are endeavoring to increase interpersonal contacts in both directions."
When she first went to Bangladesh, Sasaki said, the shock was so
great she was unable to eat any food for two or three days. But, she added
with a smile, "the smiling faces of the children are so lovely that
I want to go there every year to meet those faces."
Among those who have taken part in these tours is a student who changed
his university studies from law to medicine. There are also people who
joined the Japan Lay Missionary Movement (JLMM) and are now working overseas
as missionaries.
According to Wakimori, one of the reasons these activities have continued
for 27 years is that, "we have experienced for ourselves that not
only experts, but ordinary people too, can engage in overseas aid. Even
with the study tours, people can take part when they are able, and this 'stance' does
not place a strain on people and is probably the reason it has continued
so long."
WEBSITE CARRIES SOUND OF CHURCH BELLS
CATHOLIC WEEKLY January 29
A website in Japan is making the sound of the bells of 11 Tokyo churches
available to Internet and cell phone users.
The producer of the site, Kaneko Hirokazu of Shogakukan Micro Movies,
told UCA News that he used to live in Kyoto, where he heard the bells of
a local church once each week
"
The sound of the bells somehow called me to reflection. I wanted
to find the same kind of bells in Tokyo," he said.
Once he started searching, Kaneko found many bells. He said that once
he found them, "There was nothing to stop me from doing it."
Kaneko started work on the site last September and finished in December.
In addition to providing a recording of the bells, the site shows
each church building and scenes from its interior. Clicking on the
picture of a church begins the recording of that church's bells.
According to Kaneko, the site has become popular.
The URL for the site "Bells of Happiness - Church Bells" is
http://micromovies.cplaza.ne.jp/contents/kyoukai/index.html.
CHRISTIANS IN TOKYO HOLD JOINT PRAYER FOR UNITY
CATHOLIC WEEKLY January 29
Ecumenical prayer gatherings were held around the country during the January
18-25 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. On January 22, a Tokyo Central
Prayer Meeting was held at St. Andrew's Anglican Church, organized
by the Japanese Anglican Church, the United Church of Christ in Japan, the
Japan Lutheran Church, the Japan Baptist Union, the Korean Christian Church
in Japan, the Catholic Archdiocese of Tokyo, the National Council of Churches
(NCC) and others.
Over 70 people participated in the service during which they prayed, sang
hymns, reaffirmed their common brotherhood and sisterhood in faith and renewed
their desire for unity.
 Catholic
Archbishop Takeo Okada [photo] preached this year's homily, saying, "Not
only on a special day such as this, but how good it would be if every day
there were services for Christian unity."
He also referred to the fact that every year in Japan over 30,000 people
commit suicide. "While our doctrine and liturgies differ somewhat, we
who believe in the one resurrected Christ should try to bring the light of
Christ and the healing of Christ to the people living in the capital, and
pray for his strength and grace," he said.
Shigeki Yazaki of Toshima Catholic Church, a first-time participant in
the Prayer Meeting for Christian Unity, said, "I felt it was a very
good gathering. I was reminded again that we Christians are called to show
God's work to the world outside."
A member of the Anglican Church, Toshiko Sasaki, another first-timer, expressed
the conviction that, "I have lived my faith up to now aware that Jesus
is at the center. So even though there are many different styles of church,
unity is possible, and we should become one."
BISHOPS CARRY ON WYD CATECHESIS AFTER RETURN TO JAPAN
CATHOLIC WEEKLY January 29
At the World Youth Day (WYD) held in Cologne, Germany, last August
catechetical presentations by Japanese bishops who were there were
warmly received by the young people who took part in them. In response
to requests that it also be held in Japan, sessions will be held in
five dioceses by May this year. These sessions are being organized
by the Pastoral Care of Youth Office of the Catholic Bishops' Conference
of Japan.
The first session was held January 22 at Sekiguchi Church in Tokyo
with 90 people in attendance. The theme of the session was the same as
that of the WYD C "they returned home by a different way."
Bishop Osamu Mizobe of Takamatsu called on the participants to "think
about the meaning of 'vocation.'" He said, "At
some point you have to make a decision for yourself. And when you decide,
you have to settle down and do your best."
In response to this appeal five of the participants C a worker
at a children's institution, a teacher of religion, a student about
to begin working and a university student C spoke of their experience.
"
After going to the WYD I began to find God in my workplace," and, "what
do I really want to do," were among the reflections and worries
they expressed. The participants broke up into 10 discussion groups.
Reina Kido, a 22-year-old member of the Soka Church in Saitama,
said that she felt that the session was "another WYD."
Risa Kido of the same church said that "we have all begun stepping
forward a little. In Saitama we have begun to reflect on things and our
network is expanding."
The catechetical sessions were organized after a suggestion from
Bishop Goro Matsuura, auxiliary of bishop of Osaka, that "a similar
opportunity be given to people who did not go to the WYD," and
the agreement of the bishops who had been in Germany.
The WYD "should not end as a single personal activity, but should
provide a solid religious experience," said Bishop Mizobe at the
Tokyo gathering.
Most of the young people who organized the Tokyo session had attended
the WYD
"
It was good to have it," said Oikawa Kanako (25) of Denenchofu
Church in Tokyo, one of the organizers. "Everyone listened to the
bishop's talk. Discussions continued even after the time was up.
Another gathering like this is necessary," she added.
The next catechetical session was scheduled to be held in Sendai
on February 29, led by Bishop Yoshinao Otsuka of Kyoto, with an oyster
stew and sweet potato party for the participants planned for the previous
day.
NAGASAKI KAISEI HIGH SCHOOL GOES COED
CATHOLIC WEEKLY January 22
Kaisei Boys High School in Nagasaki, with a tradition going back
113 years, will become partly coeducational from spring this year. The
new first year classes (380 students) will have a new special scholastic
course, the Stella Maris Course, for 60 students, including girls.
The Nagasaki Kaisei College was founded by a French Marianist, Father
Jacques Barth, in 1891. At that time it was named Kaisei School and consisted
of primary and middle schools. It has continuously carried on education
based on Catholic principles.
Until now, all Marianist schools in Japan have been boys' schools,
while 80 percent of their schools abroad are coeducational.
"
As a Catholic school I do not think coeducation is anything special," said
Fr. Yoshihiko Yamazaki, the principal.
"
From now on men and women will play their roles in society together,
and the number of children is decreasing," said the principal. "We
made the decision after considering many factors."
Fr. Yamazaki said that they are now putting greater effort into advertizing
for students, but since theirs is "a public school priority area" they
will not know the response until they actually receive applications.
Among Catholic schools which have changed to coeducation are the
Ursulines of the Sacred Heart College High School and the Huga College
High School in Miyazaki prefecture, the Meji College High School in Fukuoka
prefecture and the St. Ursula College Eichi Middle and High School in Miyagi
prefecture.
OKINAWA CATHOLICS RESPOND TO U.S. BASE REORGANIZATION
CATHOLIC WEEKLY January 15
According to the Defense Facilities Administration Agency, as of January 1, 2005,
75 percent of American military installations in Japan are concentrated in
Okinawa. An interim report on American military reorganization -- the Japan-American
Alliance: Reform and Reorganization for the Future -- was issued in October
2005. As negotiations continue with local authorities involved, what do ordinary
citizens think?
"
Some bases are being reinforced more and more. I don't think this is being
reported in the mainland media," said Sister Ryoko Miyagi [photo, below].
"
For whom is this peace, I wonder. The wishes and opinions of local people are
not given priority," she added.
The Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, of which she is a member,
is a congregation founded in Okinawa after the Second World War.
"
They talk about the beautiful sky and sea, but when jet fighters are training
there, the beauty is wiped out. When you dive in the sea and know the beauty
there, you cannot but be against the Henoko Marine Base."
In connection with the return to local control of Futenma air base in Ginowan
city, plans to build a replacement facility at Henoko in Nago city are going
ahead.
"
In spite of the opposition vote by the residents, surveyors have already entered
the site," said Sister Miyagi.
Along with other members of her congregation she took part in a sit-in there.
"
When the Marine Base is built, not only the coral, but the sea will virtually
die also," she said.
On October 29, Hiromitsu Kizu, a Buddhist priest of the Nihonzan Myoho Temple,
was arrested during a sit-in in front of the Kitano air base.
Sister Miyagi and her companions gathered outside the police station where he
was being held, sang hymns and presented a letter of protest.
According to Chikashi Kaneshiro, a director of the Okinawa Human Rights Association,
and Okinawa Representative of the Article 9 Network, "the true feelings
of the people of the area are against the base."
According to Kaneshiro, shifts in peoples' feelings for and against the
bases are linked to the economic effect of government disbursements.
 "
If we cannot eat, we cannot live. The government's policy of tossing
around development and aid causes this. This method must really be censured.
The feelings of the people will continue to sway as the circumstances change," said
Kaneshiro.
"
When they speak of the Okinawa base problem, many Japanese people think it is
just a problem for Okinawa. But we are the same Japanese, the same human beings," Kaneshiro
added.
When she thinks of the bases, Sr. Miyagi says that she "feels helpless." "But
we must not give up," she said. "As for whether or not the next generation
will be caught up in the whirlpool of war, we are standing on the brink. I want
as many people as possible to shout 'no!'"
"Nippon Notes" by William Grimm
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN JAPAN HAS A FUTURE, IF...
UCANews
TOKYO (UCAN) -- Does the Catholic Church have a future in Japan?
That's one of those questions we are not supposed to ask out loud.
After all, the Lord has promised that his Church will endure.
I think there is another reason we are not supposed to ask such
questions. People do not want to hear the answers. That may be
especially true of those who are responsible for whatever future
the Church might have in Japan -- or, for that matter, in other
countries.
An honest look at the situation might not be encouraging, but without
facing facts, there will be little likelihood of our responding
effectively to them.
So, what is the situation?
In 2002, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare forecast
that the nation's population would peak in 2006 and would begin
to decline in 2007. In fact, the decline started in 2005. Projections
call for an 8 percent drop over the next 25 years.
Not only is the population declining, but it is aging too. In 2000,
there were 18.5 million Japanese classified as children, under
the age of 15. They constituted 15 percent of the population. In
2030, children will form only 11 percent of Japan's people.
The age range from 15 to 65, loosely defined as the working years,
accounts for about 68 percent of the population today, but this
is projected to drop to only 59 percent in a quarter century. That
smaller group will have to support, directly and through taxes,
the only group that is expected to show an increase -- the elderly.
By 2030, those over age 65 will constitute some 30 percent of Japan's
population if current trends continue.
The future of the nation is in question. As the 2005 White Paper
of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry put it: "With
a falling birthrate, an aging society and a shrinking population,
the Japanese economy will remain at a low growth level over the
long term while the world economy, especially the East Asian economies,
is expected to sustain robust growth in the future."
So, does Japan have a future?
Those who look at Japanese society as a whole say the answer to
that question is: "Yes, if ..."
The White Paper mentioned above states that, "If Japan were
to attempt to compensate for the decline in its labor force population
by importing foreign workers, it would have to accept hundreds
of thousands of such workers a year." One projection puts
that annual number at 900,000. In 2003, however, Japan accepted
only 23,000 foreign workers. Were the country to accept more foreigners,
the future would be different. But then Japan, too, would be different.
There seems to be little willingness to embrace a multi-ethnic
future.
Though no one has done the statistical research that would provide
complete answers, especially regarding the laity, it is a safe
presumption that the same population dynamics that are affecting
Japan as a whole are also taking place in the Church. The clergy
and their congregations are aging.
According to a 2005 report of the Catholic bishops' conference,
there were 1,667 priests in the country and their average age was
61. Of them, 611 (or 37 percent) were over age 70. Only 435 were
less than 50 years old. Judging from the preponderance of gray
hair in most congregations, similar aging is taking place among
the laity.
The number of Baptisms has dropped precipitously. Through the 1990s,
infant baptisms averaged about 5,000 per year. The number has dropped
below 4,000 since the turn of the century, and many of those baptized
are the children of immigrants. The decline in adult Baptisms has
been even more drastic. A decade ago some 10,000 adults joined
the Catholic Church in Japan each year. Of late, the number has
declined to around 7,000.
In 2004, there were 3,633 deaths among Catholics. In addition,
the number of non-practicing Catholics has been increasing steadily.
As the many people who were baptized in the immediate post-World
War II years die, those numbers may very soon match or exceed the
number of Baptisms. Then, the number of practicing Japanese Catholics
-- which has held fairly steady at about 400,000 -- will begin
to decline.
So, does the Catholic Church have a future in Japan?
The answer for the Church is the same as that for the nation: "Yes,
if ..."
Last year, for the first time in history, the number of Catholics
in Japan passed the 1 million mark.
The reason for that growth is the influx of foreigners, of which
the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry speaks. Many of those
who come to Japan, whether legally or illegally, are from Brazil,
Peru and the Philippines, predominantly Catholic countries. These
newcomers also are young.
So far, the response of the Church in Japan has been fairly good.
Many priests have learned to at least celebrate the Sacraments
in Portuguese, Spanish or English. Parishes have opened their facilities
to the immigrants.
However, a difficulty remains. The newcomers are still seen, by
and large, as a problem that must be dealt with by the Japanese
bishops, clergy and laity. Solving the need to meet foreigners'
pastoral needs is admirable, but starting from the premise that
they are a problem is a big mistake. Treating these people as a
problem will ultimately drive them from the Church.
It is time to realize that the more than 600,000 non-Japanese Catholics
in Japan are the Church in Japan. Japanese Catholics are a minority,
a shrinking minority.
Is the leadership of the Church in Japan -- the hierarchy as well
as the laity -- ready to start doing its planning, training, activities,
evangelization and liturgy with the premise that the Church here
is multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and only partly Japanese? Or will
it continue to see the influx of "outsiders" as a problem
to be dealt with from the point of view of the shrinking Japanese
minority?
Does the Catholic Church have a future in Japan? Yes, if ...
Maryknoll Father William Grimm is editor-in-chief of Katorikku Shimbun,
Japan's Catholic weekly.
Opinions expressed in this column are those of the
writer and do not represent the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan.
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